Lethill Weapon and Mobb Deep at BB King’s

November 29, 2011

Lethill Weapon and Mobb Deep at BB King’s

by Jason Pollak

Last Tuesday night the Lindenhurst rap group, Lethill Weapon, opened up for Mobb Deep at BB King’s. It was a packed house as local supporters and hip-hop heads piled in to get a good spot on the concert floor. The excitement could be felt throughout the backstage area as Lethill Weapon was gearing up to open up for one of New York’s most legendary rap groups. It was most certainly going to be a big night.

J.J. Jones, manager and rapper of Lethill Weapon, was ecstatic over the star treatment they were receiving. “This just goes to show, you have to follow your dreams,” he said while admiring the surroundings in the main dressing room back stage.

He went on to say about opening for Mobb Deep, “It’s pretty exciting. You get your own dressing room and everything. (laughs) All that hard work we have put in is now finally paying off. This is just a taste of what it could be like.”  That statement definitely holds true as Lethill Weapon has been producing and creating a number of records for years. The group first formed when J.J. Jones met fellow MC’s R.A.M and Terrance (G-La) playing basketball together. Ever since then, according to the three rappers, they have been like family. Their first album came out in 1999 and was called “Who We Be”.

Rapper R.A.M., which is his birth name, but later changed to stand for the acronym Real Art Manifested, said about their earlier days, “J.J. was the one who helped me put my first album out. I try to take what I hear and put my own spin on it. J.J. has definitely helped me grow over the years.”  However as J.J. stated, “It was really over the last three year period that we started taking this seriously and started to do a lot of shows. This is our third time back here at BB King’s. We always love playing here. Now it’s time. Terrance has got some real talent. He’s way over due.”

Although there was little success for the group in its beginning stages, it still was an important growing experience for them.
Terrance or G-La, also an Army veteran, said about the earlier days, “Yea you know, I had one of those old Casio keyboards. After the Army I spent some time in California and that was where I really began to take an interest in music. Once I met J.J. and R.A.M., we have been producing tracks ever since”  G-La went on to say about the special night, “It’s crazy to be doing a show with Mobb Deep. I remember bumpin’ their music way back in the day when we used to ball. I looked up to those guys a lot”

After chillin’ back stage for an hour or so, the show really began to kick off. Lethill Weapon’s DJ took the stage and began riling up the crowd. It was also around this time that Prodigy and Havoc of Mobb Deep showed up. Needless to say, that was an exciting moment.In the midst of all this craziness, it was time for Lethill Weapon to get the show started for the anxious crowd. As they took the stage, it all seemed natural. They dove right into their first song, each taking turns spitting on their own respective mic. It really does take a close knit group of rappers to perform in the way they do. It can be quite difficult to coordinate which person will say which line, but they had their strategy down pat.Terrance (G-La) said about performing, “We have been doing this so long. When we get up there, we know how to shut it down. It’s over once we’re up there.”

It was nice to see a rap group without any ego’s. Many times at a rap concert, there are numerous people clamoring to be in the center of the stage. This wasn’t the case for them at all. They were each more than happy to share the spot light when it was time for their respective verse’s. When one was spitting, the other two would take their turns riling up the crowd and adding in ad-libs here and there.

“Our slogan is “Beyond the Music”. We are all family. Our lives and music goes in one,” as J.J. pointed out the groups philosophy.

Also, in a rare occurrence at a rap concert, each member took turns performing one of their own solo songs. It was nice to see, as each member presented a different style to audience. R.A.M. riddled off crazy bars at the drop of a pin, while Terrence hit the crowd with a lyrical masterpiece of his own. They really do know how to work a crowd from every angle.

That’s no accident either.

“We work to blend our different personalities so we get a sound that is good for our listeners,” J.J. said earlier.

Terrence added, “We inspire each other. No one wants to make the group look bad. We try to mesh all of our sounds together to create a great experience. It really isn’t a competition; we just want to put out good music.”

After Lethill Weapon killed it, it was time for the Infamous Mobb Deep. They came on with the applause one would expect rap legends of New York City to receive. They came on as if it was still 1995 and immediately dove into their infamous hardcore sound. It seemed like a subway burst through the speakers as Prodigy started to spit and the hard base rocked the vast, but packed BB King’s theatre.

It was my first time seeing the great duo perform and it was a great honor to see. They showed why they are still the true kings of the New York hardcore sound and perhaps New York hip-hop period. They really are everything you would expect legends to be. Prodigy seemed as though he didn’t lose a step in his performance and rapping abilities since being released from jail. Havoc was in top form as well, reeling off bars and hooks like he was still twenty years old.

It was a great show overall and believe me, you haven’t experienced a rap concert until you have seen “Shook One’s Part II” performed. It really is one of those songs that define hip-hop. Be sure to check out both Lethill Weapon and Mobb Deep on Facebook and Twitter. Lethill Weapon will be dropping “Danger Zone Vol III” before next year arrives. Keep ya heads up.

www.LethillWeapon.com

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